Bag-catch.



K. OSWALD & G. FLAX.

BAG CATCH.

APPLIOATION PILED nno. 19, 1910.

3 1,026,173. V PatentedMay 14,1912. F'g. l. l

V, a o 13 I o l W g M JH'\ F g 6 i 4 l Ka e. W, Mwema/as:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL OSWALD, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, .AND CHARLES FLAX, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BAG-CATCH.

Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1912.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that we, KARL OSWALD and CHARLES FLAx, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, in Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, and New York city, borough of Bronx, in the State of New York, have invented certain Improvement-s in Bag-Catches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to such catches as are employed on ladies hand bags and the like to hold closed together the two hinged sections of the bag frame to which the body portion of leather or other material is attached.

The objects of the invention are to obtain great security inthe fastening together of the hinged frame sections in closed relation; to prevent inadvertent Opening of the bag while being carried, and consequent loss of its contents; to provide a catch in which two pressures of the usual kind are necessary, in opposite directions, to open the bag; to secure a simple construction, easy to operate, not liable to get out of order,

and which shall be of a neat and pleasing appearance, not conspicuously different from catches now in use, and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several figures, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a bag frame having a catch of any improved construction; Fig. 2 is a Similar view showing the auxiliary catch member in open or unlocked position; Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3-3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a Similar cross-section with the catch released or unlocked, and the bag frame sections slightly separated or opened; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the body portion or plate of the resilient member of the catch proper, and Fig. 6 is a similar perspective view of the under side of the entire resilient member of the catch-proper.

In said drawings, 1 and 2 indicate the hinged sections of a bag frame, said sections being formed of sheet-metal bent into angular or channel shape cross-sectionally in of both frame sections 1 and2when they are closed together, as shown in Fig. 3. Said catch proper comprises male and female members located one on each of the frame sections, said members adapted to snap together uponclosing the bag, but requiring to be positively released when the bag is opened. The male member of the catch consists of a projection 4 upon the frame section 2, said projection being beveled at its side next the other frame section and resenting a shoulder or stop at its side away from said other frame section. The female catch member consists of a body portion or plate 5, which is riveted flatwise upon the top edge of the frame section 1, as at 6, 6, so as to project over the other frame section 2 when they are closed. This projecting portion of the body plate 5 has an aperture? to receive the projection 4 which consitutes the male catch member, and beyond said aper-` ture the plate 5 is bent upward at right angles, as at 9. A hollow box-like fingerpiece 10 sets down over the said plate 5 with its lower edges closely adjacent to the top of the bag frame and is fixed to said bent-up portion 9, as by soldering. Obviously, by pressing laterally upon the finger-piece 10 the body plate 5 can be released from the projection 4, so that the bag will open. Sometimes such pressure as just described is applied to the finger piece 10 inadvertently or unintentionally, so that the catch members are 'released and the bag opens when it is not intended to do so, whereby the contents may be exposed or lost. It is to prevent this that we have provided my auxiliary catch member 3 in the manner next to be described. This auxiliary catch member is hinged to the side of the bag frame section 2 which is provided with the male catch member 4, or connected thereto in an equivalent manner, and is adapted to extend upward and overlie the top of the finger piece 10 to prevent its being operated to release the catch proper. Obviously, said auxiliary catch member may be made in many different ways so far as itsdetail construct-ion is concerned, and the one which We have shown is intended for illustration only, without limiting us tothat specific construction.

We have shown the auxiliary catch member 3 comprising an arm 11 hinged to the frame section 2, as at 12, and provided at a point distant from said hinging with a lateral projection 13 which is fixed in its angular relation to said arm and extends therefrom toward the catch proper. This lateral projection 13 is adapted to snap over the top of the finger-piece 10 and retain itself in engagement therewith to prevent operation of said finger-piece, and preferably such engagement is obtained by making a hollow or depression 14 in the top of the finger-pece 10 and giving the coperating side of the projection, 13 a correspondingly curved or rounded shape, as by making the projection a ball.

It will be noted that to release our improved catch, the auxiliary member, 3 has to be disengaged first by pressure in one direction, and then the fenale menber of the catch proper released by pressure in the opposite direction. It is therefore impossible for a hand bag having our improved catch to become inadvertently opened, and at the same time the catch is of the general nature and opened by the same movements as those in vogue at the present time. The auxiliary catch 'member 3 can be made ornamental in any desired manner, and is not especially conspicuous, so that the general appearance of the catch is also not materially different from those already in use.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim is:

1. The combination with hinged bagframe sections one having a projection, and a catch member hinged to the other frame section longitudinally thereof and having an aperture adapted to receive said projection, of an auxiliary catch member hinged to the frame section having said projection also longitudinally thereof and adapted to hook over the top of said first-mentioned catch member, said catch members Opening in opposite direct-ions.

2. The combination with hinged bagframe sections one having a projection on its top, anda box-like catch member hinged to the other frame section longitudinally thereof and adapted to resiliently seat upon the tops ofboth frame'sections, said boxlike member having an aperture receiving the said projection, of an auxiliary catch member hinged to the side of the frame section having said projection and adapted to hook over the top of said box-like catch member.

3. The combination with. hinged bagframe sections one having a projection, and a box-like catch member hinged to the other frame section longitudinally thereof, said box-like member having an aperture in its bottom to receive said projection and a' depression in its top, of an arm hinged to the frame section having said projection also longitudinally thereof, and a lateral projection on said arm adapted to snap into the said depression in the top of the box-like member.

4:. The combination with bag frame sections, of a male catch member on one section, and a female member on the other section, said female member comprising a boxlike finger-piece open at its bottom and a plate in said open bottom having one edge which extends longitudinally of the frame fixed to said finger piece and its opposite longitudinal edge fixed to the bag frame section. V V

5. The combination with bag frame sections, of a male catch member on one section and a female catch member on the other section adapted to overlap the firstmentioned section, said female member comprising a body portion or plate extending longitudinally of the bag frame and fixed at one longitudinal edge to its section, said body porton or plate having at its opposite edge an upturned portion and being apertured between said edges to engage the male catch member, and a boxlike finger piece with an open bottom setting down over said body portion or plate and having one of its side walls secured flatwise to said upturned portion of the body portion or plate.

6. The combination with hinged bag frame sections adapted to 'close together with their tops in substantially the same plane, of a projection on the top of one frame section forming a male catch member, and a female catch member on the other frame section comprising a body portion or 110 plate secured flatwise upon the top of said section adjacent to the outer edge thereof and adapted to overlie the first-mentioned frame section when the frame sections are closed, said body portion or plate being re- 115 cessed to receive the male catch member and having -at its edge away from its attaching edge an upturned marginal portion, and a boxlike finger-piece with an open bottom setting down over said body portion or 120 plate of the female catch member, the upturned marginal portion thereof being se-` cured to the inner wall of said finger-piece.

7. The combination with hinged baga frame sections, of a male catch member upon 125 the top edge of one frame section, a female catch member upon the top edge of the other frame section adapted to snap into engagement with said male member, a finger-piece' for said'female catch member adapted 'to be 130 pressed at its side toward the frame section into the said depression in the top of the haling the male catch membei1 and having finger-piece.

a e ression in its to an arm in ed to the sde of the frame se etion having the male catch member and adapted to extend up- Ward past the said finger-pece When the In the presence offrame Sections are closed, and a laterally RUSSELL M. EVERETT,

projecting ball on said arm adapted to snap CORNELIUS ZALINSKIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C." 

